Kuusou Zetsubou
by Shuji Nonohana
Summary: Fantasy Despair. An epic tale depicting one depressed man's travels through time with an optimistic girl and an adventure that changes his life forever.
1. Nozomu's Life

Hello everyone, how have you been? It is I, Despair Author Shuji Nonohana. What is my agenda for today? Writing a Zetsubou Fantasy story. Is it a Satire? No, not really. What is it then?

Well, our beloved Sensei is still a heavily depressed man, but this will actually make him one of the more sane members of the group, given this is a fantasy story, and he finds such things illogical. He's still very depressed.

Haga: And you were just two chapters from finishing your other story too…

Shut it! Oh, for all of you who don't know, my co-host is a guy who's hardly been introduced, Haga!

Haga: Yeah yeah, I'm awesome. In any case, the author here is a pervert, so watch out. Ladies, I'll protect you!

Yeah right! You're the pervert you idiot! *Blades Clash*

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei or it's characters!

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><p>Introduction, Chapter One: Nozomu's life.<p>

There was a man who lay face down in the dirt, at an empty street in the middle of the night during Nihon's 12th century. This man was currently in a perpetual state of despair. "If only I weren't his son…" He muttered under his breath into the dirt. "I wouldn't have to live this life…"

Hiroshi Itoshiki had a wife, Tae Itoshiki, and three sons, Nozomu, Kei and Enishi. Enishi was the older brother by many years, but his disobedience angered his father. He didn't want anything to do with Hiroshi anyways, so Enishi was disinherited. Kei was next in line, but he ran away to avoid the inheritance his father would pass on to him. All he wanted to do was draw, no matter how bad he was at it.

Nozomu was doomed to live the life of an Aristocrat. After his brother's escape, there was security everywhere. He was never allowed to even leave his home. He had been betrothed, unwillingly, to a young woman easily nine years younger. It's not that he didn't like her, it's just… she was a little obsessed with him. She would come in to his home at random and follow him around just about everywhere. It creeped him out.

At the age of 14, Nozomu learned to see the faults of the society he lived in, complained that power was not where it should be, and that the system Japan was in was destined to fail in a few centuries time. Actually, Nozomu is half the reason the Itoshikis rose to power. His views on society combined with Hiroshi's persuasive nature and strategic mind put him at the top from the absolute bottom. Ever since then, Hiroshi has been obsessed with preserving his family name.

"Enishi is worthless and Kei has abandoned his name, so you must carry on the Itoshiki name."

"But I don't want fame, I don't want money! I don't want to live a married life! All I want is to live away from everyone!"

No matter how much he protested, or asked his father to have another son, he was still the Itoshiki family heir. Two years ago, then 24, Nozomu embarked on a journey. He had heard rumors of a forgotten child of Hiroshi's. The old man had left him in the hands of a fortune teller. She said his son had "Death written all over him." Hiroshi had named him Mikoto, but by now he might have a completely different name. He would be two years older than Nozomu is now.

Nozomu was here now, on the dirt path, after finding nothing. No leads at all on his older brother, no leads on the fortune teller. He got up from the ground and walked back home in despair.

"Ah. Hello, Nozomu-sama." A familiar voice greeted him as he walked into his home.

"Good afternoon, Zashiki-Warashi." He was speaking to a young woman wearing an all white kimono. Her skin was snow white and her hair extended to her hips. She was just like a normal girl… but there was an eerie glow about her. "I'm sorry for leaving you here…"

"It wasn't a problem at all. After all, I'm here to protect your home." She told him with a smile. "Would you like me to do anything? Make tea, cook the beef…"

"No thank you. I'll be in my room." As he walked into his room, he sighed. Nozomu's room was incredibly bleak. He didn't even have a window. All he had was a door. He usually slept in the corner. Again, today, he huddled himself into his corner. "It's been five years since I met her, and she's the only one I talk to now." His door opened. The Zashiki-Warashi brought him a plate of beef.

"Please, try to eat today, Nozomu-sama."

"… Not today. Maybe tomorrow."

You never eat when you need to. I bet that you didn't eat properly these two years either! You need to eat something." She looked concerned. "I'm worried about your health."

"I'm not. Just please… leave me be."

Zashiki-Warashi nodded, and left.

"Honestly… I just want to die…"

There was a loud crash, and his ceiling was destroyed. Whatever fell, landed on Nozomu.

"Ow, ouch! That seriously hurts…" He looked up. He saw a young girl with short hair and a strange hair ornament shaped like an X. She was… scantily clad, in strange garb. She was wearing something unusual on her wrist, and she kept speaking into it.

"Mission Complete! Travel back in time was successful! Now searching for… um…" She held her wrist to her ear. "Hey! You guys sound like that channel I watch every morning! The one that goes, 'Fssssshhhhh'!"

"E-excuse me…"

The strange girl looked down, and saw something beneath her feet. "Oh! Sorry Mister!" She got off of him and introduced herself. "Hello! My name is Kafuka Fuura, 18 years old, and I'm a Time Traveler! I come from the future!"

"Future…" He stood up and brushed himself off. "You mean, events yet to happen?" He chuckled a bit. "I'm sorry to say, I don't believe in such things."

Kafuka pushed something on her wrist. A large hand made of iron came out and grabbed Nozomu's face. "Eh?"

The owner of that iron hand said, "Kafuka-chan, the connection is damaged… I cannot… arrive… without…" It's hand went back into that strange device, and Nozomu backed up into his corner.

"This is all a dream… it has to be… I'll wake up soon… A ha… ha ha ha!" He was going hysterical.

The door opened and Zashiki-Warashi rushed in. "Nozomu-sama, are you alright? I heard a loud noise and… oh. I'm sorry, who might you be?"

"Kafuka Fuura, Time Traveler!"

"Z-Zashiki-Warashi…" Nozomu turned to look at her. "Please tell me I'm just seeing things! Please tell you don't see this girl!"

"I'm sorry, but I do."

Kafuka pressed her wrist again. "It looks like the time traveling watch wasn't damaged at all! All right!" The whole room shone.

"Wait right there!" Nozomu grabbed her arm. "Don't leave! I want an explanation!"

Zashiki grabbed his wrist. "Nozomu-sama, please let this go. This may all be a dream-"

The light flashed from Kafuka's wrist, and the room was empty. Nozomu could not see a thing. The light cleared, and Nozomu could see again. When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by structures that we all know as buildings.

"What is this? These buildings look different from… wait, in the first place, where are we? Why have we left my room?"

"We time traveled!" Kafuka cheerfully explained. "It's always been my dream, and now I'm living it!"

"But where are we?" Nozomu was hysterical. He still thought this all to be a dream. "Where have we gone!"

"Oh, we're still in Nihon. It's just been 900 years! Welcome to the future!"

Nozomu fell flat on his face. He was crying. "This can't be real… it just can't be… not now… I finally planned that out…"

"No Nozomu-sama, this isn't a dream. I see it." Zashiki had come along with them.

"How do you know?"

"Because in my dreams, you act completely out of character." She did not want to go further than that.

"How do I know you're not just a dream!" Kafuka gave him a pinch. "Ow… what was that for?"

"Now you know it's not a dream!"

This depressed Nozomu considerably. "We're in the future… it's real…"

"Don't be like that!" Kafuka said. "There's a lot of fun to be had in the future!"

"Like what?"

"Like… um, I'm sorry, this isn't the year 3000, is it? I don't know how to have fun in 2000... But we'll find locals who'll tell us how!"

"I just want to go home!" He looked around. Some buildings were made using wood. Some were made of some strange stone he had never seen before. The roofs on the buildings were smooth. "These buildings are so strange…"

"Yeah!" Kafuka was running up and down the street. "Where I come from, the houses levitate off the ground, are exact geometric shapes, and have a monochromatic color scheme!"

Nozomu backed away from her. 'I'd really hate to see where she comes from…'

"Nozomu-sama." Zashiki asked him, "Why are you so flustered?"

"Why aren't you flustered?" He asked back.

She put a sleeved hand to her mouth. "Well I've seen generations pass… and change occurred all around me. I suppose I'm used to seeing things different from what they once were."

Nozomu stood there thinking. 'I want to ask how old she is, but that would be rude.'

"Aren't you just excited to be here?" Kafuka asked them.

Nozomu shook his head. "Not exactly. I'd like to go back…" He thought about his previous life. He shunned society and it shunned him back. He only did so because he feared it, feared he would never fit into it, what society had planned for him. He could see it's faults, and people scorned him for it. He was to inherit a family name he wanted no part of. "On second thought, can you take me a century after my time? I don't feel like talking to my father."

"Okey-dokey!" Kafuka held out her watch and shouted out, "Pororoca Wave!" The strange light came again from her wrist. In an instant, they were transported from the year 2000.

Nozomu opened his eyes. Everything looked similar to that earlier time, "2000".

"Um… where are we now?"

"In the year 2013." Kafuka ran about the streets and took a gander at all the houses. I'm so excited! It's been 13 whole years since way back when! Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday…"

"No! We are not doing that! I only remember it being a few seconds ago!"

"Nozomu-sama," Zashiki pointed, "it seems some people have noticed us."

A nervous boy with red-rimmed glasses pointed back at them. "H-Haga-san! A bunch of weird looking people appeared from nowhere!"

A tired looking boy with messy hair followed behind him. "What is it Aoyama-kun? Strange people? You must be imagining it." He took a look at where his friend was pointing. "Holy crap…"

Nozomu asked Kafuka, "Is it alright if he sees us? We don't even belong in this strange future!"

"Nozomu-sama. Please try to understand this time before you say strange. You would have thought my time dull and boring."

Kafuka happily exclaimed, "Nope! Allowing a person from any different time period to see me is expressly forbidden!"

Nozomu opened his mouth in shock. "But I saw you! I still see you!"

"Yeah, nobody in this time is allowed to see you either."

"Eh? Does that mean I'm in trouble too?"

Probably.

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><p>Author's Notes<p>

Haga: Wha- I'm in the story?

Yep. Guess what, I actually find including you in the story practical. After all, Geekies jumped on the Haga train with that fic pairing you with Harumi and Aoyama.

Haga: Wait, WHAT?

Yeah. See, Harumi ships you with your best friend-

Haga:… I need to lay down for a while.

*whispers* I finally win.

Well, I hope you enjoy this concept. It would be nice if you review and give me your opinion on this (soon to be) multi-genre fantasy story. A time traveler, a Zashiki-Warashi (house spirit) and a depressed civil servant we know as Zetsubou-sensei. I can't wait to write the next chapter!

I also sort of hope to revitalize people's interest in this series.

Good bye for now, Sayonara!


	2. Pororoca Wave!

So you know what I've been thinking about non-stop? Blazblue. I dunno, it just has a lot that I like. Series Angry Person Ragna the Bloodedge, Ice Guy Jin Kisaragi, Clinically Insane Blob Guy Arakune, The Hilarious LolCat Worthy Taokaka…

Haga: And Litchi Faye-Ling, the "Boobie Lady"!

Haga, what are you doing here spewing your perverted dribble? Get back in the story!

Haga: Don't get mad at me for using an in-series nickname. And it's the Authors Notes, I can be here if I want.

Only Taokaka calls her that!

Haga: Whatever. Idiot.

Goshi Boku wa Kusamomo-

Haga: No, don't!

Mudada Mudada MudaHAHAHAHA!

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><p>Chapter Two: Pororoca Wave<p>

'Hello. Haga here. I am currently facing a moral dilemma. And that rests with the people in front of me.'

Haga looked toward Nozomu, Kafuka and the Zashiki-Warashi.

'You see, I want desperately to talk to one of those cute girls in cosplay. The short-haired one looks like a sci-fi space cadet, and the long haired one is wearing a long white robe… oh, so cute, both of them!'

Nozomu leaned over to the house spirit and whispered, "This is what they wear in the present time? A black kimono and black hakama?"

The Warashi asked, "What are those gold things on their kimono?"

"That's just a shirt, and those buttons keep his clothing together." Kafuka answered. "I see these kinds of things in history museums." See giggled a bit. "It makes everyone look cool!"

"Their clothes don't make any sense to me…" Nozomu replied.

'The dilemma before me is this: There's a guy with them, and he might be with one of these girls. If I decide to hit on one of them, I might be hitting on his girlfriend, and then I'll be in it deep.'

Haga was a young man of about average size. He had tired brown eyes, and his short hair was very messy.

Aoyama, the young man next to him was about an inch shorter than him. He had a bowl cut, and light green eyes behind his red-rimmed glasses. He noticed Haga was staring at the strange people before them. "Haga-san, you didn't see it, did you? There was a flash and these people just… appeared!"

Haga wasn't listening. He was too focused on the girls before him. 'I don't wanna take another guy's girl, but I don't wanna miss out on a hot girlfriend either!' He looked toward the sci-fi girl. Then he looked at the white robe girl. 'That girl with long hair… she's wearing something similar to the guy. Old-style clothing… Couple Cosplay? As which characters? It's hard to say… Rurouni Kenshin maybe?' He turned back to sci-fi. 'But if it turns out he and his girlfriend enjoy playing opposites, then I'd be making the wrong move…' He shook his head. 'Damn it, why is this so hard?'

Nozomu motioned away from these two strangers. "Let's go…"

"Wait!" Haga yelled out.

Aoyama looked at his friend. "Wh-What are you doing? We saw nothing, right Haga-san?"

"Enough, Aoyama-kun…" Haga whispered. "I'm trying to get a cosplay otaku girlfriend!" He composed himself. "You there, the space girl."

Kafuka pointed at the spirit. "Her?"

"No, you."

She pointed at Nozomu. "Him?"

"He is neither space or a girl!"

She pointed at Aoyama.

"No! Not at all!" He calmed himself. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Kafuka Fuura, Time Traveler!"

'Hm… so she's dressed as a time traveler?' He laughed a bit. "So what convention are you going to?"

"I'm trying to find a convention for squirrels, but I've been having a hard time. I can only travel to previous times, you see."

Haga tilted his head, confused. 'An anime reference maybe?'

Nozomu whispered, "He's obviously trying to figure out exactly what it is you just said. You didn't make any sense there!"

"But we're supposed to have completed animal language technology by the year 4000." Again, it only made sense to her. "In any case, are you interested in my time travel?" She was talking to Haga this time.

"Why, yes I am." 'She seems to like her character a lot…'

"Well, using this watch," she held out her wrist to reveal a silver watch with no numbers on it's face, "I can travel throughout time! Only to previous times though."

"Pray tell, why?" Haga wanted the conversation to keep going; he wanted to keep talking to Kafuka.

"Well you see, in my time, we have perfected technology so advanced, it ripped space-time a new one. That new one opened up a whole bunch of new ones everywhere across space-time, allowing travel between times using the same technology!"

"I kinda get it. I've read enough sci-fi manga to understand…" If this was like a character origin, Haga could understand why she would cosplay like that… but she wasn't in cosplay.

"This watch I'm wearing only has the capability to take me back to times previous to it's first use. So other than my own home time, we cannot travel with it to any future destination! Because it's a rather backwards way of traveling, I call it the Pororoca Wave!"

Nozomu didn't get everything, but he was good at making sense out of facts. 'Wait. She said she came from a 3000 year, and she also said she wanted to travel into the future, but…'

"So why is it that you said you were looking for a future with talking squirrels?" He inquired.

"Huh? I thought I was going back in time to see what land-sharks looked like."

Nozomu gave up. He hadn't any hope in her ability to make sense. Of course, he was still confused. He continued to wish that this was all a dream, even though his house spirit kept telling him otherwise. That, and Kafuka kept pinching him.

"Hm…" Haga mused. 'Okay, I can dig a girl who's into her anime. Alright then, this is definitely it. Today, I'll walk into the sunset with my new girlfriend!'

The Zashiki-Warashi asked Kafuka, "If you aren't allowed to be seen by other people, won't you get in trouble for telling them about all this?"

"Oh yeah… I forgot all about that!" She said with a smile. Nozomu sighed.

"Hey, um, Kafuka was it?" Haga asked sheepishly.

Kafuka looked over to Nozomu. "I think he's talking to you."

Nozomu gave Haga a bit of advice. "You may want to approach her. She won't know you're talking to her unless you look her in the eye."

Haga did just that! Sort of. He walked up to her yes, but he couldn't exactly look her in the eye. Instead, his vision traveled downward, to her feet. "Um, I was just wondering… if you'd like to go out with me sometime… if you wouldn't mind!" He closed his eyes when he said that. It had been a while. He hoped he had gotten that right.

Kafuka looked down at her feet. "I don't think they can reply. They don't have mouths." She looked up at Haga. She giggled a bit. "But I'm sure they'd love to sometime!"

Haga sighed with relief. He was confused, but relieved. 'She didn't say no!' He looked at her eyes. They were a beautiful brown. "I could get lost in those things…"

"In what things?" She asked. "In my ears?"

Nozomu had thought up a reply that involved words going in one ear only to get lost, but he decided against it. He instead whispered to his spirit, "Hey Komori-chan? When did my dilemma turn into watching this girl make a fool out of this young man?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I told you not to call me by name anymore…"

"Ah, yes. I apologize." Nozomu called out to Kafuka. "Um, can we return to my time any time soon?"

She looked at her watch. "My watch used up a ton of power traveling to your and this time. It'll take a whole day to recharge!"

Nozomu looked down in despair. "So we're stuck in a foreign time for one day…"

The Warashi named Komori put her hand on his shoulder. "It's only for a day, Nozomu-sama."

"In the meantime," Kafuka cheered, "my feet have a date with this young man!" Haga blushed.

Nozomu sighed. "Please don't say things like that. You sound crazy.

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><p>Second chapter, up. About that whole outburst up there… I'm sorry. I got mad at Haga and… I'm sorry.<p>

Haga: His above speech apparently translates to: "In the end both you and I… are Pointless Pointless Pointless AHAHAHA!" He's been playing way too much Blazblue.

"Muda" means pointless, but Arakune says it in such a creepy and loud way, it sounds like he's repeating the "da" syllable to me. Plus his voice kinda echoes.

Haga:… way too much.

In any case, reviews bad or good are appreciated. Sorry it was so short! Well, Sayonara!


	3. Haga and Manami Okusa

I thank the first two reviews I received from Geekies and the Super Late Anon Reviewer. I do know you from somewhere… don't I? Nah, I do, don't worry.

This is the third chapter, where things get somewhat explained. Hey, if I explained everything right away, this story wouldn't be any fun now would it? And what is getting somewhat explained you ask? You'll see.

Haga: I'm personally happy to be involved in this story.

First off, from this chapter on, the Zashiki-Warashi will now be referred to by her actual name, Komori.

Second off, I'd like to have some kind of character development other than the character's typical personalities. So as you can see, Kafuka is a bit more cloudcuckoolander than usual, Nozomu is a mixture of both qualities of freaking out, and despair, and Komori appears to be the most sane out of everybody (of course, other than her original fatal attraction to Nozomu, she has always typically been this among other members of Nozomu's class. Her and Abiru). Haga is perfect for this given that his development in character merely stopped at "Kino's and Aoyama's perverted friend".

Haga: I take offense to that!

Well hey. Since I wouldn't allow you as much freedom as that title gives, I'll be giving your in-story character more solid development, alright?

Haga: … Despite all our deep hatred for each other, I actually have to thank you for that.

No problem.

Haga: … We're gonna go back to killing each other, aren't we?

You betcha.

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><p>Chapter Three: Haga and Manami Okusa<p>

Haga had a date with Kafuka Fuura, our resident time traveler. Things should go just how we expect. Unwillingly, Nozomu had to tag along because Kafuka was his only way back home. Komori went along with Nozomu because, well, she didn't have anything else to do but stay by Nozomu's side. Nozomu knew this wasn't some deluded fantasy he was having. They usually begin and end with his demise. He couldn't be sure of this future, but physical reminder kept telling him this was real. And by "physical reminder", I mean Kafuka kept stumbling over his feet.

"Ow! Please watch yourself." Nozomu kept telling her.

"Okay~!"

Haga had decided that for the first date he had in over a year, he would take the cute girl (Kafuka) to the park! 'It isn't the most original idea, but there's a reason people date here. The sakura trees are truly beautiful, and the park itself has a calming air to it.' He thought way back. 'This was where I took my first date, come to think of it…' He shook his head. 'Must not dwell on the past…' To take his mind off of whatever it was he was remembering, his thoughts turned to his date. He looked at Kafuka Fuura, still dressed like a space cadet, eyes closed, and goofy smile on her face. 'Hm… what anime is that from?' He hadn't seen a getup like that before.

She was dressed in a light blue skin suit, almost like a school swimsuit but brighter (hard to tell because of her skirt, but it probably ended at her waist like a regular shirt). She wore thick white gloves, almost like a magician's. The skirt she wore was a cobalt blue, slit at mid-thigh length, and from there the rest of the skirt curled upward, making her look like some kind of flower. The design looked, however, like a strange spacey version of a seifuku skirt. Her shoes were just plain shoes like every other girl wears. Haga had to admit, he actually wouldn't feel comfortable had her shoes been as unusual as the rest of her outfit. And if she weren't wearing the plain white socks she was wearing. He couldn't really explain why. Her X shaped hairclip looked like a relatively ordinary hairpiece.

"Um, so." Haga spoke. "I um, like your, uh, hairclip?"

"Are you talking to me or my feet?" Kafuka still thought this was a date with her feet.

"Um, Kafuka… chan? Can I just date you and not your feet?"

"Well sure! I don't think my feet were interested anyway. Not that I would know, my feet cannot speak!"

Nozomu just up and sighed. "How can she say such ridiculous things with such a big smile on her face?"

"Nozomu-sama, isn't the atmosphere calming?" Komori, his Zashiki-Warashi asked him.

"Hm… yes, it is." He looked at the trees, at the sakura petals blowing in the cool spring wind. "If I had to choose a place, it would be here." Komori refrained from asking him, "potential date spot" or "grave".

Kafuka started running around on the brick road, hanging off of the trees and dancing amongst the flowers. "I usually don't see anything but botanical gardens where I come from! The park is so wonderful!"

Haga felt his heart skip a beat. Just watching her dance like that, surrounded by so many flowers, he thought to himself, 'She's just… too cute.' He suddenly chastised himself for not being good enough for a girl like this. 'I mean, with what I've done, I don't deserve her.' He looked down to the ground. "I mean, why would a girl like her want to be with a guy like me?"

"Now hold up there." Nozomu suddenly said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not suited for love. To tell the truth, I used to be quite the pervert." Haga admitted. "I'm not fit for a sweet and innocent girl like her."

'I'm not so sure about innocent but…' Nozomu held back from actually saying that. "Well, if you realize what you did before, and lament, then I don't see any reason you can't start fresh with Fuura-san."

Haga lit up after that. "Thank you for your kindness… um… what is your name?"

"Nozomu Itoshiki."

"Of the Itoshiki family? Influence in the Diet and all that?"

"Eh?"

"Nevermind." Haga decided that, if he didn't know, he wouldn't push further.

Nozomu on the other hand, was confused. 'Itoshiki family? Almost 1000 years into the future, and that family name still exists? Is it another family, or is it mine?' He didn't want to think about his family. 'No, the same people who were in my famly centuries ago obviously wouldn't still be alive, but… I'm pretty sure that I shouldn't dwell on this any longer.' Nozomu dropped it there.

Meanwhile, Haga went on ahead to where Kafuka was, in a field of flowers. "Do you enjoy dancing?"

"I don't dance, I spin!" It was true. Most of what looked like dancing was actually her just spinning at random. "Care to join me for this spin?"

Haga smiled as he said, "Gladly!"

Together, they span in circles around the flowerbed until they got dizzy and fell straight downward. Unfortunately, they were standing opposite each other when this happened, so their heads sorta clunked. "Ow… sorry Kafuka-chan…"

"What are you talking about? That was one of the best spins I've had in a while! Thank you… say, I never asked your name!"

"My name is Haga, and I'm pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Haga-kun! And nice to meet you too apron girl!"

"Apron girl?" Haga got up and looked toward where Kafuka was speaking. A girl with a motherly look about her stood before them. She had her shoulder-length black hair tied back, and just like Kafuka said, she wore an apron over a school uniform. "M-Manami-chan!"

"H-Hello Haga-kun." The young girl averted her eyes from him as she spoke. "I didn't expect to see you here." The air suddenly turned awkward.

"Manami-kun? That's a nice name! I'm Kafuka Fuura, and I travel through time!" Nozomu covered his face with his hand. Wasn't she supposed to keep that a secret?

"Oh. That's… nice." Manami tried looking at Haga. "I didn't know you went for the cosplaying type."

"Well… she's really cute though."

"I can see that." Manami smiled a small smile. "I'm glad you're happy."

"…." Haga just sat there. "Hey, Manami. After you went and got married… did Ohba-kun treat you right?"

She shook her head. "He cheats on me constantly, and does nothing but lie around doing nothing all day."

"And after a year of that, you're still with him?" She nodded. "Why?"

"Well because," she started, "I don't want him to commit homicide. After we got married, I discovered he was a very unstable person, and if he's upset in the slightest…"

"Stop, don't say anymore." Haga looked up to her. "So are you content with your life?"

"Content, yes. Sad, a bit. Happy, no." She looked down. "I almost regret breaking up with you."

"Yeah, if only everybody kept their big mouths shut…"

"But now that I'm a bit more mature, I can say this: I don't blame you for being a pervert. I don't blame you for hiding your thoughts behind kindness and warmth. But…"

"When I was with you, it may have been the only time I wasn't trying to be perverted." Haga twiddled his thumbs. "That's why I've been idle for a year."

"And then you go out with this girl here."

"Because I felt lonely!" He thought back to his best friend. "And I've been relieving that loneliness with the first guy I met after we broke up. Aoyama can be a bit depressing, but he's my best friend." He looked up to the sky. "I was a bit selfish, you see. I decided against going to college, while he has college on the brain. He'll be in Hokkaido for a few years, and I thought it might be time to start dating again…"

"… you say that, but you see me and you suddenly start this whole awkward conversation." Manami sighed. "Well, I didn't want to hear you apologize. I just wanted to apologize." She bent down and hugged him. "That was a dumb reason for leaving you. I wish I knew that when I did. I'm sorry for breaking up with you."

Haga teared up, but held back from crying. "Thank you for the year we spent together…" Haga had finally gotten some closure from his old girlfriend.

Nozomu and Komori had seen what happened. "Komori, again, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I feel good for this young man's rise above his past, but… I'm still feeling depressed."

"It's alright Nozomu-sama. I want to go home too." 'If only because we'll be alone together again…'

By the end of the day, Nozomu had witnessed a modern day romance. Boy meets girl, girl and boy run into boy's ex, boy and ex discuss previous love life, and girl doesn't really think much of it.

"Manami-kun was a really pretty girl! You were lucky to have dated her!" Kafuka exclaimed.

"Thanks Kafuka-chan." Haga thanked her. He looked a little more relaxed than he had previously been, messy black hair, tired grayish-green eyes and all. "I'm feeling more and more like I did before!"

Nozomu thought back on their previous conversation. 'Um…'

"So Kafuka-chan," Haga said as he put his arm around her shoulder, "I'm not looking into a committed relationship, but I'm willing to pal around with you and your friends there for a while if you'd like."

"You can come along with us if you'd like! We're going back to the 12th century!"

Haga still thought she was talking about anime. "Sounds like a plan!"

"And I'm not experiencing cardiac arrest, but thank you for your concern!"

Nozomu sighed and said, "I thought this might happen…"

Komori went over to try and stop Haga from doing what he was doing. "Stop groping her right now!"

Haga squeezed Kafuka for good measure, and then draped his arm around Komori. "Well alright then!" He grabbed at Komori. "You seem to be the 'bigger' of you two anyways." Komori introduced Haga's face with her palm. "Oh, no need to be so harsh… Ouch…"

Komori returned to Nozomu's side. "What is wrong with that young man?"

Nozomu looked at him and told her, "He told me that before he started dating seriously, he was a real pervert. I guess since he finally received closure on an old one-year relationship that had been eating at him for a year afterward, he reverted back to his old ways, before going through all that."

"Well, I don't like it."

Nozomu smiled. "Really? The mere fact that this quality of himself he lamented shows me that his perverse ways are more a greeting than anything else at this point." He looked at Kafuka. Haga was at it again.

"If at any point I suffer a heart attack, Haga-kun will save me!"

"Of course, Kafuka-chan."

Nozomu sweated. "Although I may have to break it up every now and then, being the adult here…" He put his hand in between Kafuka and Haga. "Alright, that's enough."

"Aw man, you too Nozomu?"

Komori spoke up to Haga. "Excuse me, can you lend us a place to sleep for the night? We are from… out of the town, and-"

"Ah! Say no more. Given all you three have done for me, I'd be glad to give you lodgings for the night!" Haga held his thumb up and smiled.

Nozomu thought to himself, 'Well actually, you got over your problems on your own…'

Don't be so sure Nozomu. A small pep talk from a depressing man can go quite a ways…

* * *

><p>Time Omake<p>

"Excuse me, Haga-kun."

"Yes, Nozomu-chan?"

Nozomu holds up his thumb. "What does this mean?"

"Oh. Well to me, it can either mean, 'Alright! Good Job. Nice!'"

"Hm…"

"And I usually mean 'Nice' when gesturing like this to pick up girls!"

'I'd better not gesture like this… ever.'

* * *

><p>So how was the third chapter? Development for Haga, and now you know what Kafuka is wearing. I mean, you hear she was dressed like a space cadet, but that wasn't specific. Shoes, socks, and hairpin are all regular Kafuka. The rest of her outfit looks sorta sci-fi, especially the faceless technological watch she wears.<p>

Haga: And now it's time for, "Name that Game!"

That's where I provide info on a game's characters, songs, or story, and you reviewers guess what game I'm talking about! This time, the genre is fighting games!

Haga: Okay, your character hints are: Sol, Jam, Zappa. (Not Frank).

Songs: Awe of She, Suck a Sage, Good Customs and Manners.

Haga: Storywise, there isn't a lot of mechanical inclination unless you count Ky's robo-double, but we do talk a lot about "Cogs"…

Not "Cogs"! "Gears"! Or is that too obvious?

Send in your guess in a review detailing how good/bad I did this chapter! (Considering I've already got next chapter thought out, you've got about a week).

Tell you friends about my story! Laugh with me/at me! And try asking them for the answer!

Haga: Until then…

Sayonara!


End file.
